Gloomy prospects for trade and crafts
Business
Salzburg’s commercial and craft businesses are looking to the future with great concern. This year’s calculations got off to a good start, but the massive increase in energy and material costs will have to be passed on to customers, says Josef Mikl, head of the division at the Chamber of Commerce.
The development in Salzburg’s trade and craft shows a similar picture as in other sectors: “The first quarter was still positive in terms of sales, we had an increase of 2.9 percent. In terms of quantity, however, there was already a reduction. In the third quarter, this positive mood among entrepreneurs receded significantly. For the fourth quarter, we already have the majority who are negative,” says Josef Mikl, chairman of the trades and crafts division in the Salzburg Chamber of Commerce.
High costs and less consumption feared
The prospects for the coming year are bleak. The reason for this is the enormously increased prices for energy, material and raw materials. According to Mikl, there will also be the expected pay round. Because the high inflation also affects every single citizen, this will probably also have a negative impact on the Salzburgers’ desire to buy and the order situation.
In addition, the companies are currently lacking any kind of planning security, says Mikl, naming an energy price brake and, above all, the decoupling of the electricity price from the gas price as important demands. However, Mikl emphasizes that this is a task that must be solved across the EU.